12th July 2026 

We Recognise You!

As she left church last Sunday, a visitor for the baptism commented "Your children and young people are very vibrant". I am taking this to be a Good Thing! One of our mission priorities as church is to grow as an intergenerational community of faith. That's a community where people of all ages belong, bringing all our gifts and limitations, loving and being loved, serving and being served, learning and teaching. It's a community where adults are humble enough to learn from children, as well as the other way round, where we take seriously the words of Jesus "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3).

It warms my heart to see the delight on the faces of our children and young people when they come back into the service and show us what they've been learning. And, so often, the words they say cut right through to the heart of the story they've been exploring. We have heard profound truth spoken from the mouths of children as young as four. 

This does not happen by chance. It happens because, in this church, we are committed to creating a space that is safe, welcoming and inclusive for children and young people, and where they feel they can belong. And that happens because of all the people who give freely and faithfully of their time, prayers, creativity and care to create these safe spaces for children. It happens week by week on Sunday mornings. It happens every Monday and Wednesday and once a month on Saturdays at Little Fish. It happens at Messy Church. And it happens because of you , and your commitment to this ministry. I have counted 41 adults and 9 children and young people who have been involved in serving in ministry to children, young people and families over the past year. The youngest, who helps at Little Fish Saturdays, is nearly six. The oldest is in her late eighties. Truly a sign of HTSJ, growing as an intergenerational community of faith!

This week is Recognise Week in the Church of England: a week where we take time to recognise the effort involved - not just the energy needed on the day, but the hours of prayer, planning, preparation, the creativity, the setting up, the clearing up, the love and care that go into working with children and young people - and to celebrate this. On Sunday, we will be recognising publicly those involved in this work in our service.

But a thank you from the vicar is one thing. How can we as church family recognise those who give so much of their time to serve in this way? If you are a parent, can you find a way to encourage the adults who lead your children's groups? Might you have a conversation with your child about how they can encourage those leaders and helpers? And, if you're not yet one of the 41, how might you get involved in this work? There is always need for more people to help in practical ways* (even if occasionally) and to pray... If you feel you have something to offer, talk to me, or to one of the team.

If we were to ask most of our volunteers why they give up their time in this way, I'm pretty sure that most of their replies would include something about the fact that they love working with the children and young people and about the joy they bring. Why not join the team and discover that love and joy for yourself?

*Volunteering in any of our work with children and young people is subject to safer recruitment. This will include a satisfactory DBS check and references and completion of an appropriate level of Church of England safeguarding training